Kicking off their return to the stage, and the UK, as part of their second tour to stop off in Manchester, the ultimate English-American dream-pop band Sunday (1994) whisked the audience away into their retro, dreamy world. Despite having only released their debut self-titled EP in September 2024, the transatlantic trio have amassed a loyal gathering of ‘churchgoers’ at their shows, which they refer to as ‘Sunday service’.
After having collaborated on writing, composing, and creating for other artists as well as penning independent work for ten years, American front vocalist Paige Turner and Slough born guitarist and vocalist Lee Newell began sharing snippets of songs on TikTok, which quickly piqued the interest of the public.
Since then, the pair have released two studio EPs, their self titled debut alongside Devotion, the latter being released in May this year. With an organic, loyal fan base of over 180,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, it is clear that the band knew from the get-go what visual and musical aesthetic they intended to put into the world; their signature soft yet sharply vintage colour palette of black, white, and blush pink paired with dreamy synths, understated guitar melodies, and Turner’s haunting vocals layered on top perfectly encapsulates the indie, melancholic, sublime nature of the band.
Before Sunday service could commence, Kentucky born musical duo Girl Tones served as the opening act, immediately bringing unparalleled energy to the stage with their rock, new wave and blues style. Classically trained turned punk sisters Kenzie and Laila brought grunge, grit, and pure ecstasy to their set — a highlight being their newest single ‘Burnout’. Earning a laugh from the crowd in their candidness about their sisterly relationship, Kenzie stated "if you’re an eldest sibling you get it, and if you’re a younger sibling: not everything is about you I promise".
Having previously supported acts such as Cage The Elephant, Girl Tones demonstrated their ability to incite a crowd into interaction by encouraging them to clap along to the vibrating beat, as well as sharing their praise for Manchester’s own Affleck's Palace, saying their local market back home couldn’t compare to the local Mancunian treasure.
Eagerly anticipated by the crowd, after a brief interlude it was time for Sunday service to commence. Moody lighting descended and with smoke arising at their ankles the band arrived on stage, featuring New Jersey based guitarist Christine Meisenhelter, joining the band for the first time on their UK leg, and Jordi Radnoti on drums. After a moment of suspense came Turner, dressed all in black as promised by an Instagram tour post comment.
The setlist kicked off with ‘Our Troubles’, a track from their debut EP, perfectly encapsulating the band’s signature style of melancholic repeated lyrics, with the outro "I like the rain when there's two under one umbrella" proving very apt for Manchester’s signature drizzly showers. This was followed shortly by ‘Softly’, before ‘Doomsday’ and ‘Devotion’, the opening pair of the band’s latest EP. It became evident that Turner and Newell, especially, were very happy to be making their return to the UK after being based in LA for recent recordings, with Turner sing-songing "Manchesterrr" back to a crowd of whoops and hollers.
‘TV Car Chase’ came next, an anthem aptly marked in descriptions of their self-titled EP as "a captivating blend of dark humour and hopeless romanticism", dealing with darker, more stark themes of mental health struggles. These are fused with the enchanting melodies and lyricism that have become a signature of Sunday (1994), and it was evident the crowd find a connection to this in the surged scream of the mantra-like "my head is in the oven" during the bridge.
‘Blonde’ and ‘Stained Glass Window’ followed, before an autobiographical-style storytelling of the lead single of Devotion, ‘Silver Ford’, which Turner and Newell described as “a song about a clandestine love waged against the grim authority of religion. A whispered rebellion, dreaming of trading a colourless life of loneliness for a sun-kissed world where love writes the only scripture”.
‘The Loneliness Of The Long Flight Home’ and ‘Mascara’, two tracks from the debut EP were interspersed by several new tracks from Devotion: ‘Rain’, ‘Still Blue’, and ‘Picking Flowers’. The band made their exit with a flourish of screams of adoration to the dreamy outro of the latter, followed immediately by chants for an encore from a crowd eager to prolong the service. The band gratefully obliged, running back out and without a beat kicking straight into ‘Blossom’ before finishing with the single that started it all, ‘Tired Boy’, leaving fans with a very full circle moment and with that, Sunday service concluded.
Since the release of their debut EP last year, Sunday (1994) have experienced a remarkable rise, garnering a loyal following at an unparalleled speed. Their popularity is easily explainable: the band can consistently pack out rooms such as Gorilla and perform to said loyal following, providing a religious experience for all.
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